Apparatus and methods for maintaining service continuity when transitioning between mobile network operators

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method storing, at an integrated circuit card including at least one processor, parametric information descriptive of operational features of a plurality of software applications, where the plurality of software applications when executed makes use of services provided by equipment of a first network operator. The method can further include detecting, at the integrated circuit card, an event indicating that the plurality of software applications are to utilize services provided by equipment of a second network operator, and causing, from the integrated circuit card, a transmission of the parametric information descriptive of the operational features of the plurality of software applications to the equipment of the second network operator. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/747,576, filed Jun. 23, 2015, which is acontinuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/470,979, filed May 14, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,094,774, thedisclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference hereinin their entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates generally to an apparatus and methods formaintaining service continuity when transitioning between mobile networkoperators.

BACKGROUND

Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) generally provide each subscriber aUniversal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), commonly known as a SubscriberIdentity Module or SIM card, which enables authentication and access toa mobile network and provides identifiers that allow equipment of theMNO to account for service usage and to bill the subscriber accordingly.The SIM card is removable by the subscriber and can be inserted in anycompatible device, providing continuity of network access service fromdevice to device. A user can switch to another MNO by physicallyswapping SIM cards in their device.

In an environment involving machine-to-machine communications, it iscommon for a UICC to be placed in harsh environments such as acommunication device located in an automobile engine, or atop astreetlight, which is not easily accessible. In such applications theUICC is often embedded in the communication device and not physicallyreplaceable. When a subscriber of a device utilizing an embedded UICCwishes to switch to another MNO, the subscriber may have to replace thedevice if the embedded UICC is not configured to be re-provisioned.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device;

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system including mobilenetwork operators (MNOs) and communication devices communicativelycoupled thereto;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a mapping of servicesprovided by the MNOs and software applications operating from one ormore of the communication devices of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication deviceutilizing a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) to support amongother things enablement of software applications operating from thecommunication device;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method for transitioningservices when switching between the MNOs of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for transitioning from one MNO to another MNO in a mannerthat provides continuity of services to software applications supportedby the UICC without replacing the UICC. Other embodiments arecontemplated by the subject disclosure.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a UICC having a memorystoring computer instructions, and a processor coupled to the memory.The processor responsive to executing the computer instructions canperform operations including storing parametric information descriptiveof operational features of a plurality of software applicationsexecutable by the UICC or a device communicatively coupled to the UICC,where the plurality of software applications when executed makes use ofservices provided by equipment of a first MNO. When executing thecomputer instructions, the processor can also perform operationsincluding detecting an event indicating that the plurality of softwareapplications are to utilize services provided by equipment of a secondMNO, transmitting to the equipment of the second MNO the parametricinformation descriptive of the operational features of the plurality ofsoftware applications to configure the services provided by theequipment of the second MNO to interoperate with the plurality ofsoftware applications when executed, and causing or enabling executionof a first software application of the plurality of softwareapplications to interact with at least one of the configured servicesprovided by the equipment of the second MNO.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a computer-readablestorage medium including computer instructions which, responsive tobeing executed by at least one processor of a UICC, cause at least oneprocessor to perform operations including storing parametric informationdescriptive of operational features of a plurality of softwareapplications, where the plurality of software applications when executedmakes use of services provided by equipment of a first network operator.When executing the computer instructions, at least one processor canalso perform operations including detecting an event indicating that theplurality of software applications are to utilize services provided byequipment of a second network operator, and transmitting to theequipment of the second network operator the parametric informationdescriptive of the operational features of the plurality of softwareapplications to configure the services provided by the equipment of thesecond network operator to interoperate with the plurality of softwareapplications.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a method for storing,at an integrated circuit card including at least one processor,parametric information descriptive of operational features of aplurality of software applications, where the plurality of softwareapplications when executed makes use of services provided by equipmentof a first network operator. The method can further include detecting,at the integrated circuit card, an event indicating that the pluralityof software applications are to utilize services provided by equipmentof a second network operator, and causing, from the integrated circuitcard, a transmission of the parametric information descriptive of theoperational features of the plurality of software applications to theequipment of the second network operator.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 100.The communication device 100 can represent a number of possible devicetypes such as, for example, a cellular telephone, a personal digitalassistance, a smart phone, a tablet, a portable computer such as alaptop, an industrial device for providing telemetry information to acentral station for monitoring, diagnostics, mitigation or othersuitable functions. Multiple variants of the communication device 100are thus contemplated by the subject disclosure.

The communication device 100 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 102 (herein transceiver 102), a user interface (UI) 104, apower supply 114, a location receiver 116, a motion sensor 118, anorientation sensor 120, a UICC 121, and a controller 106 for interactingwith or managing operations thereof. The transceiver 102 can supportshort-range or long-range wireless access technologies such asBluetooth, ZigBee, WiFi, Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications(DECT), or cellular communication technologies, just to mention a few.Cellular technologies can include, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA,GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX, software defined radio (SDR), LongTerm Evolution (LTE), as well as other next generation wirelesscommunication technologies as they arise. The transceiver 102 can alsobe adapted to support circuit-switched wireline access technologies(such as Public Switched Telephone Network or PSTN), packet-switchedwireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP, IP MultimediaSubsystems or IMS, etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 104 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 108 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device100. The keypad 108 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 100 or an independent device communicativelycoupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable)or a wireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 108can represent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys.

The UI 104 can further include a display 110 such as monochrome or colorLCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) orother suitable display technology for conveying images to an end user ofthe communication device 100. In an embodiment where the display 110 istouch-sensitive, a portion or all of the keypad 108 can be presented byway of the display 110 with navigation features. The display 110 can bean integral part of the housing assembly of the communication device 100or an independent device communicatively coupled to the communicationdevice 100 by a tethered wireline interface (such as a cable) or awireless interface.

The UI 104 can also include an audio system 112 that utilizes commonaudio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heardonly in the proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such asspeakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system 112 can furtherinclude a microphone for receiving audible signals of an end user. Theaudio system 112 can also be used for voice recognition applications.The UI 104 can further include an image sensor 113 such as a chargedcoupled device (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 114 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 100 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable applications. Alternatively, thecharging system can utilize external power sources such as DC powersupplied over a physical interface such as a USB port or other suitabletethering technologies.

The location receiver 116 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 100 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 118can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motionof the communication device 100 in three-dimensional space. Theorientation sensor 120 can utilize orientation sensing technology suchas a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device100 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The UICC 121 can be utilized for storing data to enable thecommunication device 100 to, among other things, establishcommunications with a communication network such as a cellular basestation, support enablement of software applications stored in the UICCor a memory of the communication device 100 that makes use of servicesprovided by the communication network. The data stored in the UICC 121can include, for example, an International Mobile Subscriber Identity(IMSI), a personal phone book, executable software applicationspurchased by the subscriber, a mapping of services between the softwareapplications and services of a communication network, MNO policy files,and other information as will be described below.

Depending on the communication protocol or the applicable use of theUICC 121, the UICC 121 can be referred to as a subscriber identitymodule (SIM), a Removable User Identity Module (RUIM), an embedded UICC(eUICC), an embedded SIM (eSIM), and so on. An eUICC or eSIM canrepresent UICC devices that are integrated by soldering the device ontoa printed circuit board of the communication device 100, by attachingthe device to a housing assembly of the communication 100, or bysoftware integration of the UICC functions in an existing processor ofthe communication device 100. Present and next generation physical andoperational variants of the UICC 121 are contemplated by the presentdisclosure.

The controller 106 can utilize computing technologies such as amicroprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and/or a videoprocessor with associated storage memory such as Flash, ROM, RAM, SRAM,DRAM or other storage technologies for executing computer instructions,controlling, and processing data supplied by the aforementionedcomponents of the communication device 100.

The controller 106 can be communicatively coupled to a device 115 thatcan supply telemetry data (e.g., an automobile, a utility meter, etc.).In one embodiment, the communication device 100 can be an integral partof the device 115. In another embodiment, the communication device 100can be co-located and communicatively coupled to the device 115 by wayof a physical or wireless communication interface.

FIG. 2 depicts a system 200 with illustrative embodiments of thecommunication device 100. In one embodiment, the communication device100 can represent a consumer device such as a cellular telephone 202, acomputer or laptop 204. In a commercial setting, the communicationdevice 100 can be communicatively coupled to a vending machine 206, autility meter 208, a parking meter 210, a commercial transport vehicle212, or an automobile 214. In these latter embodiments, the UICC 121 canbe an embedded (non-removable) device. The embodiments of thecommunication device 100 shown in FIG. 2 can be operable to facilitateestablishment of communications with mobile network operator (MNO) 201or MNO 203. MNO 201 and MNO 203 can operate according to common wirelessaccess protocols such as Global System for Mobile or GSM, Code DivisionMultiple Access or CDMA, Time Division Multiple Access or TDMA,Universal Mobile Telecommunications or UMTS, World interoperability forMicrowave or WiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, Long Term Evolutionor LTE, and so on.

MNO 201 or MNO 203 provide wireless communication services to subscriberdevices in large regions such as cities, states, and nationally. MNO 201and MNO 203 are generally independently operated businesses.Consequently, the services provided by MNO 201 and MNO 203 may differ inways that may cause interoperability issues when the softwareapplications supported by UICC 121 of a communication device 100 attemptto utilize the services of a new MNO.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a mapping of servicesprovided by the MNOs to software applications operating from thecommunication devices of FIG. 2. MNO services can include, for example,text messaging services such as Short Messaging Service (SMS),multimedia messaging such as Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS),location services, identity services, third party services, cloudservices, and authentication services by way of public keyinfrastructure (PKI) certificates, just to mention a few. Softwareapplications executed from the communication devices of FIG. 2 can makeuse of the MNO services. For example, a software application fortracking weather can make use of SMS messages for alerts, and locationservices to identify weather conditions relative to the location of thecommunication device. Cloud phonebook software applications can utilizeCloud services of the MNO (e.g., an enterprise directory or personaldirectories stored on a webserver).

Mobile payment or ecommerce services can make use of SMS messaging,identity services, and third party services (e.g., PayPal™). Subscriberto subscriber messaging applications can make use of SMS and MMSmessaging. Protected content that relies on Digital Rights Management(DRM) rules can make use of identify services and PM certificateservices of the MNO. In a commercial setting where telemetry data orother useful metrics are being monitored by commercial enterprises, suchenterprises may have arrangements with the MNO to link subscriberdevices in the field (e.g., at a vending machine, utility meter, etc. asshown in FIG. 2) with processing devices of the commercial enterprisesuch as servers.

Subscribers such as consumers and business enterprises can invest insoftware applications such as described above. When a subscriber choosesto switch to a new MNO, the services of the new MNO may not operate inthe same manner as the prior MNO, thereby causing interoperabilityissues with the software applications supported by the UICC 121. In oneembodiment, the interoperability issues can be resolved with acommunication device 400 configured with a UICC 404 that supports, amongother things, operations of software applications operating from thecommunication device 400 as shown in FIG. 4.

Communication device 400 depicts an end user terminal 402 utilizing anUICC 404 with a service continuity application (SCA) 406. The SCA 406can comprise a processing engine 408 that executes software modules suchas a notification engine module 410, an MNO policy file system module412, an event listener module 414, and a local application registrymodule 416 which can link to local software applications 418 executableby the UICC 402, and software applications 420 external to the UICC 402and executable by a processor of the end user terminal 402.

The functional modules of the SCA 406 can be described as follows:

The processing engine 408 mediates interactions between functionalmodules of the SCA 406 and directs configuration updates to softwareapplications resident in the UICC 402 or externally controlled by theUICC 402. The processing engine 408 can also send configuration updatesto an MNO via a provisioning service 430, and an application trustservice 432 having access to a global application registry 434 toidentify software applications trusted by the MNO.

The notification engine module 410 can trigger external actions such asa device management session with the MNO's core network to initiatedevice provisioning, or information to be displayed to the user, such asownership transfer instructions or advice on trust status of softwareapplications.

The policy file system module 412 stores files provided by the MNOcontaining information necessary to ensure service continuity of usersoftware applications such as network service configuration parameters,access and management permissions for user software applicationsutilizing MNO services, DRM rights certificate updates, and ownershiptransfer instructions.

The event listener module 414 detects a change from one MNO to another,as well as changes to the local application registry 416 indicatingsoftware applications were added or deleted.

The local application registry module 416 contains a mapping between allinstalled software applications and the network services andconfiguration parameters they require.

The SCA 406 can be installed in the end user terminal 402 by way of anembedded UICC 404 or removable UICC 404. The SCA 406 can be configuredto monitor for MNO switch events. This is accomplished in the eventlistener module 414. The event listener module 414 is also responsibleto react to application change events (add, delete, update, etc.) inorder to trigger the processing/reprocessing of service continuityrules.

Software applications installed in the end user terminal 402 can beregistered with the local application registry module 416. Uponreceiving triggering events from the event listener module 414, theprocessing engine 408 can perform a trust lookup with the MNO trustservice 432 to request the updated trust level for all local andexternal software applications 418, 420 operating from the UICC 404 orend user terminal 402 based on the MNO's own trust model. A softwareapplication can be considered trusted by one MNO but can be considereduntrusted by another depending on factors determined by the MNO such as,for example, bandwidth utilization of the application, an identity ofthe author of the application, compliance with DRM rules, or othercriteria deemed important to service personnel of the MNO.

The MNO provisioning service 430 can generate a new Device Policy Update(DPA) file during the transition process. MNO DPA files can be storedlocally in the UICC 404 and can be updated based on the MNO switch eventand an application change event detected by the MNO provisioning service430. The processing engine 408 can be configured to cross referenceinstalled software applications with an MNO Policy File to determinedependencies, and rules and to update the configuration settings of thesoftware application.

Upon processing the rules and making all the necessary configurationupdates to the affected software applications as defined by a policyfile supplied by the MNO, the processing engine 408 can cause thenotification engine module 410, as required, to trigger mechanisms tonotify a user of the end user terminal 402, the MNO or third partiesabout the changes applied to the software application's configuration,and or trigger a device management session to initiate further deviceprovisioning with provisioning service 430 of the MNO.

It should be noted that the end user terminal 402 depicted in FIG. 4 canbe replaced with an integrated fixed-location communication devicesituated, for example, in the vending machine 206, the utility meter208, the parking meter 210 or the vehicles 212 or 214 shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method 500 fortransitioning between services provided by the MNOs 202 and 204 of FIG.2 utilizing, for example, the communication device 400 of FIG. 4. Method500 can begin with step 502 in which the UICC 404 stores servicemappings and parametric information in the local registry module 416.The mappings can represent service to software application mappingssimilar to those shown in FIG. 3. The parametric information canrepresent configuration information which is used by an MNO service toconfigure the service to interoperate with one or more of the softwareapplications 418 and 420. The parametric information can also representconfiguration information used to configure the software applications418 and 420 in accordance with service policy information stored in thefile system 412. In step 504, the UICC 404 can cause or enable all orsome of the software applications 418 and 420 to be executed. At step506, the UICC 404 can track when a software application update has takenplace.

A software application update can represent a deletion of an existingsoftware application, a modification, version update, or reconfigurationof an existing software application, or an addition of a new softwareapplication. The update of a software application can result from userinput, external messages received by the end user terminal 402, or othersuitable techniques for updating software applications supported by theUICC 404. If a software application update is detected at step 506, theUICC 404 can proceed to update the registry 416, and if needed, informthe MNO of the update by way of, for example, the provisioning service430 and/or the application trust service 432.

If a software update has not been detected, the UICC 404 can proceed tostep 510 where it monitors events for transitioning between MNOs (e.g.,transitioning from MNO 202 to MNO 204 of FIG. 2). The transition betweenMNOs can be initiated by the subscriber at any time by, for example,establishing a new agreement with an MNO. If a transition event is notdetected at step 510, the UICC 404 continues to execute or enablesoftware applications as requested at step 504 and monitor softwareupdates at step 506. If an MNO transition is detected, the UICC 404 canproceed to step 516 where the UICC transmits to the second MNO via theend user terminal 402 parametric information descriptive of softwareapplications resident in the UICC 404 and external to the UICC 404.

The parametric information can include, for example, the names,versions, model no's, serial no's, or other identification data of thesoftware applications along with information descriptive of the MNOservices desired by each software application, and the operationalfeatures, conditions, or requirements necessary to configure the MNOservices to interoperate with the software applications. At step 518,the second MNO can review by way of the application trust service 432the identity of the software applications and determine if the softwareapplications are trusted by the second MNO. Trust criteria can beestablished by the second MNO. Software applications that were trustedby the first MNO may not be trusted by the second MNO because, forexample, personnel of the second MNO have determined that allowing aparticular software application can cause network congestion,interoperability issues with the services of the second MNO, or thesoftware application is not recognized by the second MNO, or has knowndefects that have not been mitigated to the satisfaction of personnel ofthe second MNO. Other criteria may be defined by the second MNO. Suchcriteria can be updated periodically and result in a previously trustedsoftware application no longer being trusted.

If a software application is not trusted, the UICC 404 can proceed tostep 520 where it generates a notification by way of, for example, thenotification engine module 410. The notification may be submitted to theuser of the end user terminal 402. The user can be presented, forexample, with a GUI that informs the user that some services cannot besupported by the second MNO. For any and all software applications thathave been determined to be trusted by the second MNO at step 518, thesecond MNO proceeds to step 522 where it configures its services byproviding appropriate parametric information to the UICC 404.

At step 524, the second MNO transmits policy and parametric informationto the UICC 404 which it stores in the MNO Policy files 412 at step 526.The policy information can represent usage policies for defining properusage of services provided by the MNO, while the parametric informationcan include operational information such as server addresses foraccessing services of the MNO. In the same step, the UICC 404 canutilize configuration information provided in the policy files to updatethe local registry module 416 and thereby configure operationalparameters of the software applications. The configuration of theservices of the second MNO and the policy information used to configurethe software applications supported by the UICC 404 enables the softwareapplications and the MNO services to be interoperable. At step 528, theUICC 404 can execute one or more local software applications 418requested by user input or by automated schedules. Alternatively, theUICC 404 can enable by way of the configuration information stored inthe registry 416 one or more external software applications 420 forexecution by a processor of the end user terminal 402 according to userinput detected thereby. If interactions between the MNO services and thesoftware applications do not cause execution errors or trigger alarms ateither the second MNO or the software applications, then the UICC 404can proceed to step 534 to update the registry module 416 with newmappings and updated parametric data descriptive of the requirements setby the second MNO via the policy files.

The UICC 404 can also be configured to present at step 536 a GUI toprompt the subscriber if necessary. The prompt can present, for example,a new fee schedule for utilizing the MNO services if a fee agreement wasnot pre-arranged, or if new service options are offered by the secondMNO. The prompt can also confirm to the subscriber that the transitionwas successful and that the software applications are successfullyutilizing the MNO services. If, on the other hand, one or more softwareapplications did not successfully interoperate with the MNO services,the new MNO can notify the UICC 404 at step 532 that an error hasoccurred. The UICC 404 can be configured to notify the subscriber of theissue and remain communicatively coupled to the second MNO while othersoftware applications not having interoperability issues continue to beserviced by the second MNO. The subscriber can, among other things,contact personnel of the second MNO to address the error.

The foregoing embodiments provide a suitable solution for maintaininginteroperability between MNO services and software applications during atransition between MNOs without requiring a replacement of the UICC.

Upon reviewing these embodiments, it would be evident to an artisan withordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can be modified,reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope and spirit of theclaims described below. The UICC 404 and its functional modules can beintegrated as software components of a microprocessor utilized by thecommunication device. In this embodiment, the microprocessor performscommunication functions as well as the functions described above for theUICC without the additional hardware of a UICC. This embodiment can bereferred to as a “soft” UICC configured according to the embodimentsdescribed herein. In the foregoing embodiments, the term “MNO” can bereplaced with a Landline Network Operator (LNO). An LNO may supportcircuit switched or packet switched landline communications. In oneembodiment, an end user terminal 402 configured with a landlineinterface (see transceiver 102 of FIG. 1) may be accessible by the LNO.

A UICC utilized by the end user terminal 402 with the landline interfacecan be configured to perform the functions of method 500 for maintainingservice continuity when transitioning between LNOs. In anotherembodiment, an end user terminal 402 capable of landline and wirelesscommunications, can include a UICC configured for maintaining servicecontinuity for LNO to MNO transitions, and vice-versa. Accordingly,method 500 can be adapted for maintaining service continuity betweennetwork operators of various access technologies.

Method 500 can be further modified to include steps for conveycredentials of the MNO's (or LNO's) to the UICC to facilitateestablishment of communications between the UICC and an MNO. Thecredentials can be submitted to the UICC from service equipment thatmanages distribution of credentials to UICC's. The service equipment canbe operated by the MNO's or a third party. The service equipment can beaccessible to the communication device utilizing the UICC by way of awireless or wired interface of a communication system communicativelycoupled to the service equipment. In one embodiment, the MNO (or LNO)credentials can be pre-stored in the registry of the UICC.

Other embodiments are contemplated by the subject disclosure.

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 600 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods discussed above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as the communication devices 100 and 400 of FIGS.1 and 4, and their respective subcomponents, such as the UICC. In someembodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g., using a network) toother machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate inthe capacity of a server or a client user machine in server-client usernetwork environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 600 may include a processor (or controller) 602(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU,or both), a main memory 604 and a static memory 606, which communicatewith each other via a bus 608. The computer system 600 may furtherinclude a video display unit 610 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD),a flat panel, or a solid state display. The computer system 600 mayinclude an input device 612 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device614 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 616, a signal generation device618 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interface device620.

The disk drive unit 616 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 622 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 624) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 624 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 604, the static memory 606, and/or within theprocessor 602 during execution thereof by the computer system 600. Themain memory 604 and the processor 602 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 622 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, and HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, ZigBee), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) are contemplatedfor use by computer system 600.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated toachieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodimentsshown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations orvariations of various embodiments. Combinations of the aboveembodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein,are contemplated by the subject disclosure.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A universal integrated circuit card, comprising:a memory that stores instructions; and a processor coupled to thememory, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, the processorperforms operations comprising: storing parametric informationdescriptive of operational features of a plurality of softwareapplications executable by the universal integrated circuit card or adevice communicatively coupled to the universal integrated circuit card,wherein the plurality of software applications, when executed, make useof services provided by equipment of a first mobile network operator;determining an event indicating that the plurality of softwareapplications are to utilize services provided by equipment of a secondmobile network operator; transmitting, to the equipment of the secondmobile network operator, the parametric information descriptive of theoperational features of the plurality of software applications toconfigure the services as configured services provided by the equipmentof the second mobile network operator to interoperate with the pluralityof software applications when executed; detecting that a first softwareapplication of the plurality of software applications has beenauthorized for use by the equipment of the second mobile networkoperator based on an identification of which software applications ofthe plurality of software applications are trusted by the second mobilenetwork operator; and configuring operational parameters of the firstsoftware application based on policy and parametric information receivedfrom the equipment of the second mobile network operator concerning theconfigured services provided by the equipment of the second mobilenetwork operator.
 2. The universal integrated circuit card of claim 1,wherein the processor comprises a plurality of processors operating in adistributed processing environment.
 3. The universal integrated circuitcard of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving fromthe equipment of the second mobile network operator a plurality ofservice policies descriptive of the configured services provided by theequipment of the second mobile network operator; and configuring atleast a portion of the plurality of software applications according tothe plurality of service policies to enable the plurality of softwareapplications to interoperate with the configured services provided bythe equipment of the second mobile network operator.
 4. The universalintegrated circuit card of claim 1, wherein the detection that the firstsoftware application is authorized for use by the second mobile networkoperator is supplied by a server.
 5. The universal integrated circuitcard of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise storing, in aregistry, a first mapping of operational parameters between each of theplurality of software applications and the services provided by theequipment of the first mobile network operator, wherein the registry isutilized by the processor to maintain interoperability between theplurality of software applications and the services provided by theequipment of the first mobile network operator.
 6. The universalintegrated circuit card of claim 5, wherein the operations furthercomprise: determining whether the plurality of software applications areinteroperable with the configured services provided by the equipment ofthe second mobile network operator; and updating the registry with asecond mapping of operational parameters between each of the pluralityof software applications and the configured services provided by theequipment of the second mobile network operator as an updated registryresponsive to detecting that at least a portion of the plurality ofsoftware applications are interoperable with the configured servicesprovided by the equipment of the second mobile network operator, whereinthe updated registry is utilized by the processor to maintaininteroperability between the plurality of software applications and theconfigured services provided by the equipment of the second mobilenetwork operator.
 7. The universal integrated circuit card of claim 6,wherein the operations further comprise replacing the first mapping ofoperational parameters with the second mapping of operational parametersresponsive to detecting that the portion of the plurality of softwareapplications are interoperable with the configured services provided bythe equipment of the second mobile network operator.
 8. The universalintegrated circuit card of claim 5, wherein the operations furthercomprise: determining whether the plurality of software applications areinteroperable with the configured services provided by the equipment ofthe second mobile network operator; and generating an alert responsiveto detecting that at least a portion of the plurality of softwareapplications are not interoperable with the configured services providedby the equipment of the second mobile network operator.
 9. The universalintegrated circuit card of claim 1, wherein the operations furthercomprise: storing in a registry a mapping of operational parametersbetween each of the plurality of software applications and one of theservices provided by the equipment of the first mobile network operator,the configured services provided by the equipment of the second mobilenetwork operator, or both; updating the mapping of operationalparameters stored in the registry as an updated mapping of operationalparameters responsive to detecting one of an installation of anadditional software application, a removal or disablement of one of theplurality of software applications, or a change in configurableinformation associated with one of the plurality of softwareapplications; and transmitting the updated mapping of operationalparameters to the equipment of the second mobile network operator. 10.The universal integrated circuit card of claim 1, wherein the operationsfurther comprise initiating at the device a presentation of a graphicaluser interface including information associated with the configuredservices provided by the second mobile network operator.
 11. Theuniversal integrated circuit card of claim 1, wherein the first softwareapplication is executed by one of the processor or the device, andwherein the device comprises a portable communication device.
 12. Theuniversal integrated circuit card of claim 1, wherein the universalintegrated circuit card comprises an embedded universal integratedcircuit card that is not removable from the device.
 13. A non-transitorymachine-readable storage device, comprising instructions, whereinresponsive to executing the instructions, a processor of a universalintegrated circuit card performs operations comprising: storingparametric information descriptive of operational features of aplurality of software applications executable by the universalintegrated circuit card or a device communicatively coupled to theuniversal integrated circuit card, wherein the plurality of softwareapplications when executed makes use of services provided by equipmentof a first network operator; storing, in a registry, a first mapping ofoperational parameters between each of the plurality of softwareapplications and the services provided by the equipment of the firstnetwork operator, wherein the registry is utilized by the processor tomaintain interoperability between the plurality of software applicationsand the services provided by the equipment of the first networkoperator; determining an event indicating that the plurality of softwareapplications are to utilize services provided by equipment of a secondnetwork operator; transmitting, to the equipment of the second networkoperator, the parametric information descriptive of the operationalfeatures of the plurality of software applications to configure theservices as configured services provided by the equipment of the secondnetwork operator to interoperate with the plurality of softwareapplications when executed; detecting whether a first softwareapplication of the plurality of software applications has beenauthorized for use by the second network operator and is interoperablewith the configured services provided by the equipment of the secondnetwork operator; updating the registry with a second mapping ofoperational parameters between the first software application and theconfigured services provided by the equipment of the second networkoperator as an updated registry responsive to detecting that the firstsoftware application is interoperable with the configured servicesprovided by the equipment of the second network operator, wherein theupdated registry is utilized by the processor to maintaininteroperability between the first software application and theconfigured services provided by the equipment of the second networkoperator; and configuring operational parameters of the first softwareapplication based on policy and parametric information received from thesecond network operator concerning the configured services provided bythe equipment of the second network operator.
 14. The non-transitorymachine-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the processorcomprises a plurality of processors operating in a distributedprocessing environment.
 15. The non-transitory machine-readable storagedevice of claim 14, wherein the first software application is executedby one of a processor of the universal integrated circuit card or adevice communicatively coupled to the universal integrated circuit card.16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 13,wherein the operations further comprise: determining whether theplurality of software applications are interoperable with the configuredservices provided by the equipment of the second network operator; andgenerating an alert responsive to detecting that at least a portion ofthe plurality of software applications are not interoperable with theconfigured services provided by the equipment of the second networkoperator.
 17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device ofclaim 13, wherein the first network operator and the second networkoperator are unaffiliated cellular network operators.
 18. A method,comprising: storing, by an integrated circuit card comprising aprocessor, parametric information descriptive of operational features ofa plurality of software applications executable by the integratedcircuit card or a device communicatively coupled to the integratedcircuit card, wherein the plurality of software applications, whenexecuted, makes use of services provided by equipment of a first networkoperator; determining, by the integrated circuit card, an eventindicating that the plurality of software applications are to utilizeservices provided by equipment of a second network operator; sending, bythe integrated circuit card, to the equipment of the second networkoperator, the parametric information descriptive of the operationalfeatures of the plurality of software applications to configure theservices as configured services provided by the equipment of the secondnetwork operator to interoperate with the plurality of softwareapplications when executed; storing in a registry of the integratedcircuit card, a mapping of operational parameters between each of theplurality of software applications and one of the services provided bythe equipment of the first network operator, the configured servicesprovided by the equipment of the second network operator, or both;updating, by the integrated circuit card, the mapping of operationalparameters stored in the registry as an updated mapping of operationalparameters responsive to detecting a software application update;enabling, by the integrated circuit card, a transmission of the updatedmapping of operational parameters to the equipment of the second networkoperator; and enabling, by the integrated circuit card, a transmissionof the parametric information descriptive of operational features of atleast a portion of the plurality of software applications to theequipment of the second network operator to determine whether one ormore of the at least the portion of the plurality of softwareapplications are trusted by the equipment of the second network operatorand authorized for use by the second network operator.
 19. The method ofclaim 18, wherein the software application update represents a deletion,a modification, a version update, or a reconfiguration a softwareapplication of the plurality of software applications, or an addition ofa new software application to the plurality of software applications.20. The method of claim 18, wherein the first network operator or thesecond network operator comprises a mobile network operator, and furthercomprising receiving a message transmitted by one of the equipment ofthe first network operator or the equipment of the second networkoperator, wherein the enabling of the transmission of the parametricinformation is responsive to the message.